The View's Alyssa Farah Griffin Reveals She Experienced Domestic Abuse in a Previous Relationship

Amid a renewed conversation about the dangerous and difficult dynamics of abusive relationships, Alyssa Farah Griffin got personal on The View about her own history in an unsafe coupling.

Reflecting on the recent release of a 2016 video of Sean "Diddy" Combs kicking and throwing his then-girlfriend, Cassie, in a hotel hallway, Farah Griffin, 34, got candid on the May 20 episode of the ABC talk show.

"Part of this conversation I’ve seen since this video emerged was this question of, ‘Why didn’t she leave?’ And I want to speak to that. I once was a victim of domestic abuse in a prior relationship," she said, clarifying that the experience did not happen with her husband, Justin Griffin. "It happened once. I was one of the lucky ones where the power dynamics were in my favor — where I could leave, I could walk away, I could remove myself from him. In the vast majority of cases, that is not the case."

The former White House Director of Strategic Communications said she felt Cassie "had no hope to get away from" Diddy, based on the context of their relationship, his status in the music industry and the reality of how difficult abusive relationships can be.

"They use financial abuse to keep you, emotional manipulation, and add to that that this is a multi-millionaire, incredibly powerful, incredibly well-connected person," Farah Griffin said.

In the surveillance footage from a 2016 altercation between the former couple, which CNN released on May 17, Combs, now 54, grabs the singer, throwing her to the ground and violently kicking her, before dragging her back toward their hotel room.

The footage matches allegations that Cassie, now 37, made in a lawsuit filed last November, which has since been settled.

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In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Cassie's attorney, Douglas H. Widgor, said the footage "has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs."

On May 19, the music mogul responded to the video, calling it "the darkest time" in his life in an Instagram post.

"I hit rock bottom but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable," he said. "I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. Disgusted. I was disgusted then, when I did it, I'm disgusted now."

A rep for the musician has not responded to PEOPLE's request for comment.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.